Inamorta's Last Order
'Inamorta's Last Order '''is a novel by SpodermanAlwaysCan, and is planned to be the first entry in the Great Southern Saga. Prologue / "The Lady with a Soul of Stone" There have been trying times for man before; against the face of death and destruction; on a multitude of occasions. A fervid sun would cast upon those days, when thousands give into disease, or when a battle would set that changed the tides of war forever. The trees would thrive green with pure glee, and the wildlife would celebrate the downfall of mankind. Though that day, that time that ended it for all of man, was eerily silent, as the sun drooped just over the horizon, and the moon feared to show it’s face. It was the day known as the Order slaughter. July 4, 1346, wolf-like entities darted towards the barricades of Norchester, in the midst of an uneventful evening. Black, elegant fur was strewn across their bodies like a dress, engulfing their aerodynamic body with organic armor. The creatures came at such a speed that the Tower Archidons grew unaware of their presence, still chatting with blissful unawareness. The short castle walls stood no match against the creatures, and within seconds the vast hordes had crawled over the surrounding walls with ease. The archidonis drew their attention towards the creatures, initiating combat atop the castle walls. A clash of wood and teeth sunk into the ears of the townsfolk, coming out one by one to view the onslaught. Soon, the ranged weapons proved ineffective at such a short range. In an attempt to hold their ground, many began to utilize their bows as blunt force objects, crunching the limbs of the several dozen wolves. Some even used their munitions, piercing the eyes of the creatures by jabbing their arrow into the target with their bare hands. However, the archidonis became far too outnumbered for a fair fight, as few remained to battle the continually growing enemy ranks. The small bundle that survived the encounter hopped from the ten foot castle wall, running for shelter against the monsters. A few hundred wolves now stand, perched onto the surrounding walls of the city, staring down at the town of Norchester. Children cower under the tables of their family homes, being kept company by nervous wives. The bravest of husbands brandish their swords and shields, arming themselves in preparation for their arrival. The small group of Norchester’s enforcement unit guarded town hall’s front doors, holding the mayor and his family within it. Wolves, dozens of wolves begin to bark at one another, seemingly calling for a backup they certainly did not require. Minutes passed of relative silence, before a pack of wolves escorted their master atop the castle wall to view the town. The tall woman glared towards town hall, each strand of hair cooing and slithering about her scalp. A forest green cloak draped over her hourglass figure, held down by a golden collar of the upmost value. Her name was Medusa. Then they came. The wolves scurried down the height of the castle walls, invading the small town. Curious citizens were the first to lose, being ravaged and torn limb-from-limb by the creatures almost instantly. Tables and chairs slammed up against home doors, with every piece of furniture in every home being used as a barricade. Wolves tore at each door, stacking amongst the doors and windows of each building in merciless scorn. Some even sacrificed themselves, slamming their own bodies through the panes of glass to open another house of fresh blood. Medusa calmly walked among the chaos, making it over to the town hall accompanied by another pack. Forty wolves scoured the walls, the roof, and the doors for a way in. While homes around it fell to shambles, and as many families were torn to pieces, town hall stood strong. Lacking windows, Medusa aided the wolves in their pursuit, simply swinging the front doors open for easy entry. The guards, shocked, hid within the corner of the building, blocking Mayor Buildham and his wife with their armored bodies. Wolves flooded the room, killing multiple guards almost immediately. The remaining few stabbed at the hordes, but eventually were slain too, falling back onto the mayor. Then, the wolves stood by, awaiting for their empress to enter the facility. She did, keeping her eyes sealed shut all the while. Mayor Buildham pleaded. “ You-you fiends! Just, p-please! Leave us be! There are many others’ blood to take, you hag!” “ Ha. See, that’s the thing Buildham… there are many more…” Medusa replied coldly. “ ...and they’ll all perish too.” “ Medusa, please-” Medusa slipped open her eyes, petrifying the two instantly. Their jaws were open and ridged, and their bodies as cold as the night sky. She walks up to the stone corpse of Buildham, calmly placing her two hands onto his head, before twisting the neck and severing his skull. Buildham’s head hits the hardwood floor with crunch, snapping into two. “ Hmm… he was always off in the head, I suppose.” And with her remark, Norchester fell silent. Chapter 1 / "A Man and His Theory" Hundreds of miles away, crept under the cover of a peaceful evening, the capital of the Order Empire sat among the coastline. Ships wailed into the vast harbor, as clumps of moths and other winged insects greeted their arrival. Lanterns and light-posts clash with the purple sky, hiding one dozen foreign sailors and their secretive cargo. Chatter let loose among them, occupying their time under the stars. " How's the family doin', Tom?" One cried. " We moving along quite fine, thank you." Another replied. " That ain't bad, then, not one bit." " Bet Norchester don't feel fine, though." A sailor chuckled. " Not after snake lady eye'd 'em good, nosirree, you hear that she led a pack o' wolves so vast that Norchester couldn't hold 'em all in it's walls?" " First I heard of it, probably just ano'er rumor anyways." As mindless chatter often goes, conversation simmered like mist during a warm dawn. Surface-level talk was as common as the geese that defecated the sidewalks in Order, especially amongst the feeble-minded sailors and their equally intelligent comrades. In a capital as lively as the Order's, the city of Meric was one of habit and boring uniformity. Such uniform dwindles at the other end of the capital, as bickering between colonial leaders clutters the populated town hall. Drama stirs within it's contents, as the sturdy construction boomed with activity for the first time in years. Spanning ninety feet in length, every table and chair shifted in clunky procession across the tiled flooring. Dozens occupy the furniture, ignoring the plentiful ornate decorations scattered across the room's walls in favor of the topic at-hand. Aggressive occupants spit in the faces of their audience, the more pleasant taking it in silent disgust, waiting for the chance to give their humble opinion. Though the poverty-stricken sailors and the uptight citizens of the town hall were anything but similar, they both spoke of the same name that night. Medusa A. Gorgon. " The military can handle her, right?" " Military's not gonna do s*** about her, let alone her army." " Not like we stand a chance against a bunch of zombies anyway..." " Nah, they can just attack when they're vulnerable, like sleeping or something." " I reckon that Arthur can just capture her genera-" " What Arthur ''needs to do is let off with that pig's head!" Two firm fists slammed onto the podium ahead of the crowds. " Alright, who said that? Which one of you idiots said that?" Corrin requested adamantly. Town Hall shutters at his voice, silencing. " Come on, woman up, which one of you said that?" Silence grows. " Well for your information; Arthur is doing all he can to keep you and your safe community happy, so if you want to run your mouth and pour gasoline on an open flame, please leave the building." Silence persisted for a few moments until empty conversation escaped the room once again, it's air now grown tense. Corrin stood disappointed, as once again, the Order could not please the bustling citizens of their community and their high expectations for such an empire. As the lone head left to control the mood-ridden public, the man felt his reputation and confidence crumble around him like the statue of Norchester once did just hours before. Corrin J. Blackswort was one of the wealthiest nobles in Meric, and one of the most loyal to the crown's heir. His stalky frame and short stature kept him barely visible over the rim of the podium, making his presence as a fearful force laughable to a certain extent. Making up for such a flaw was his voice, a powerful force of reckoning only pronounced by his down-to-earth sting. His heavy, patriotic charm endured audience after audience through countless hours of dedicated speeches, and no electoral candidate could keep their hands off of him. While many of these higher positions within Order were simply heritage, any election held would include countless hours of passionate speeches by Corrin, and dozens of trinkets bearing his cause's name. These days were filled with fulfillment, indulgement, and laughter a-plenty. Needless to say, today was just not one of those days. Another hour of grueling discussion passed, until the halls finally closed at the stroke of midnight. Groups of wealthy townsfolk passed through the wooden doors onto the open streets, still discussing the night's events. Children, bored and fatigued, skipped and hummed after the release from their proverbial prison cell. Soon after, the town hall's bright lights shivered, sheepishly blinked for a few moments, then died quietly. Corrin stretches, shifting himself up from his hunched position on the podium. Glancing at the analog that stood behind him, the man let a long, sleep-deprived sigh escape his lips as he pondered on the recent discussion. Alone, Corrin slipped into deep thought, careless of the danger lurking at such time of dusk. The sound extruding from the once-vibrant hall was now diminished to the ticking procession of time. ' How could such hatred boil from these folks? They'd be raised with high expectations, o' I know, but to insult Arthur himself? No respect for the crown anymore, I reckon.' ''He contemplated, ignoring all manners and proper dialect. Corrin musing continued well past morning, scribbling onto his notepad vigorously until the chickens cawed for the sun's rise. The man was passionate about his work, proud of it even, but his conspiracies of neighboring empires grew larger and larger as his mind slipped of age, growing more and more abstract and conceptual as time went on. Now though, not a single empire remained to converse, leaving his theories dry and shallow, just gathering more dust among Corrin's collection. Chaos wiped the slate of Inamorta clean a while ago, every other country was torn to pieces in Norchester fashion. It was only a short matter of time until the Order was next. The man began to sweat bullets, yanking off his handkerchief to wipe beads of sweat dribbling from his forehead. A conversation involving Medusa now grew heated quite quickly, as the air in the town-hall grew stuffy and tense once again. Corrin simply picked himself up, calmly went to the door, locked it behind him, and stared at the morning sun shining over the beautiful city of Meric. A man walked towards Corrin, curious. " No offense, good Blackswort, but ''what are you doing?" ''The man asked. " Enjoying life before it ends, Chuck, try it sometime." Corrin stated, continuing to stare at the sunrise. The passerby spat into the street, before placing himself next to Corrin, now sitting on the sidewalk. Chuck scratched at his sideburn, viewing the sunrise exhaustively. " So... what's the proposition?" " ...hmm?" " You know what I'm sayin', Corrin." " Honest, I don't." " Nobody'd be sitting around unless they have an idea, sir." " I'm serious, Chuck, I don't have one." " Corrin, I know you better than anybody on this block, so no making a fool outta' me." " ...Mhmm... you know Medusa, right?" " Big snake lady that engulfed Nr'Chester? Everybody does, Cor'." " Well... she attacked ''what ''countries, again?" " First that Spearton Empire, they fell quick, then the Swordwrath and Archidonis coalition, then the Magi, why?" " ...Her pattern is to eradicate a powerful place first, then the weaker one, then the strongest, right?" " ...I guess-" " Well she invaded Westwind first, then tiny Norchester, and then..." " ...Then a big place..." " ...like a capital of an empire." " ...bloody hell, Meric's next! She's gonna tear this city apart!" Every citizen on the block heard Chuck's roar, rushing for a Police Station or heading for safety under the shelter of their own homes. Chuck received several worried glances, in which he exchanged an equally petrified expression in return. The town shook with activity, shocked to hear such well-respected faces in the town tell of Meric's soon destruction. A seemingly spoiled town like Meric now seemed like many of late; worried, anxious, and bursting at the seems. Nearly seconds later, a small trio of enforcers arrived on the scene, approaching the duo sitting on the sidewalk. One moved an uneasy Chuck to the left of the town hall, while one began to chatter with a strangely composed and calm Corrin. " Name and business, sir." One officer requested in a powerful voice. " m-Chuck... Chuck Marlborough, Smithing & Co." " Alrighty, now to put bluntly; what in the hell were you thinkin' Chuck. Yelling a bunch of hooey like that that in a public place can get you hung, son!" " Might sound stupid sir, but I get my info from that Corrin fellow. He's a mighty smart one, that Corrin." " So you're willing to risk your head for that kid and his wild theories?" " Guess so, officer, he's the bestest of friend in this whole damn neighborhood." Chuck Marlborough, unlike his clunky name would elude, was a slim frame in a heavy family history. His hair waved to his left, blond and shimmering in the sunlight, with a cowlick on his near right. The man was the envy among the town, carrying bright blue eyes that dug into a woman's soul, and the straightest set of teeth in Meric. Though he was a beautiful face around town, his skull sat as thick as a boulder at times, and was certainly no match for Corrin's large intellect. Because of this, Chuck often listened to and believed in Corrin, accentuating the man's already high intelligence to exorbitant levels. To Chuck, Corrin wasn't just another friend or acquaintance, he was the most likable character in all of Order. On the other end of the spectrum, another officer stood in confusion while conversing to a certain Corrin Blackswort, who was as calm and unharmed as he'd ever been before. " Mhmm, okay, so you're spreading these rumors around town, right?" Another officer said. " Absolutely- though they're not rumors, sir, they'd be one hundred percent fact." " No no, you know that they're completely false, otherwise you woulda' come to us." " Don't take it personal, officer, but I really don't want to waste my time with the police if I don't have to." " Well it seems you'll be wasting more time with us, Corrin, so your mission failed terribly." " I don't call spending time with my beloved chief failure, officer." " Now listen here: if you make another wise-crack, kid, I will whoop your a-" The officer snarked, grinding his teeth. " Please, Corrin, follow us, and ignore our fellow officer, he's had a rough morning." The third officer butted, exchanging annoyed glances with the other. " My pleasure." The trio of enforcers treaded along the sidewalk, motioning for both Corrin and Chuck to follow. Evasively, Chuck came at a crawling pace, hanging at the border of the sidewalk and the grassy terrain beside it. Corrin, in opposition, merrily followed the group as if a parade, lightly humming an inaudible tune along the journey. Within a few minutes, down the block lied the police station, encompassed in hundreds of chipped bricks and glazed heavily with mortar in-between. Two open windows penetrated the solid station wall, revealing a long line of confused and disorderly citizens waiting at the information desk inside the building. Outside, the west wall was lined with horses, each stationed with metal chains implanted onto the grass beneath it. The Meric downtown police station was a successful one, often looked at as the epitome of equality, truth, peace, and justice. Chuck was horrified. " Corrin, I'd never-you'll cover me, right? I didn't do nothing wrong, right?" " Don't you fret a single second, Chuck. You'll be out in a blink." Corrin replied, comforting the frightened peer. " Good, 'cause I did nothing! Don't need to do time when I hasn't a crime, right?" " ...right..." One of the officer to Corrin's right nudged Chuck into the entrance of the building, passing through the hall of the department's achievements, awards, and wooden plaques built in their honor. Chuck tensed up as they came closer to the information desk, beginning to illeviate stress by breathing out through his mouth. Corrin glanced at the fearful oaf. " Calm yourself, Chuck, nothing to worry." " Yep, yeah-nothing but jail-time..." Finally, the group cut a right turn, leading straight to the Chieftain's office. The trio of officers stood guard at the doorway, awaiting the duo's entrance into the room. Chief Walter sat nonchalantly, sipping his morning tea and enjoying the morning sun's warmth through his open window. Chunk stumbled in first, clamping his hind on the seat ahead of the chief's desk in haste. Corrin followed, walking in before taking his seat as well. Walter gave a genuine smile at Corrin, who was happy to see the old fellow again. Walter pushed his wooden cup aside. " Ah, nothing like a morning of sunshine to warm up your day, right?" " Nothing like it, Walt." Corrin said, brushing his right hand through his matted hair. " Mhmm. So tell me, what brought you and your friend here on a fine day like this?" " Chief, to be completely honest, I didn't come of my own intentions." " Ah, lemme' guess, you got apprehnd'd for another conspiracy, and this kid got caught in your little web." Walter smiled, pointing mildly at a confused Chuck. " Walter, it's not a theory this time! I tried n' telling your little deputies, and they brought me here!" " Mmm... tell me, what's this idea of your's that's 'not a theory'." Corrin pulled himself from his seat, silently flipping a chalkboard from the left wall of the office, revealing it's green underside. " Chuck, see a chalk around here?" " M...yep, over there." Chuck pointed at the white entity's hidden location. Corrin fetched the chalk from the dust-ridden floor, beginning to illustrate the map of Inamorta before Medusa and her forces invaded. " Alright, so in what order did Medusa destroy all those countries?" Walter corrected his sitting posture, shifting up in his wooden chair. " ...Spearton... then what was left of that Pertland coalition... then the Magikill, right?" " Correct, so she attacked a strong location, then a weaker one, then finished off her attack by attacking their strongest. Now if we correlate that in terms of ''OUR ''empire..." Corrin yanked his shirt sleeve down, erasing the board's contents with the tee's cloth. He began to write again, this time a map of the Order Empire during Medusa's reign. " Cor, are you insa-" " ...so first Medusa attacked Westwind, right?" " Yeah, I guess." " ...then the tiny city of Norchester..." " Mhmm..." " ...now where would she attack next?" " Now remember, th' ''strongest would be attacked last." Chuck butted in, gaining confidence. " ..." " ..." " ...Meric, oh for god's sake Corrin, do you think I should believe this bullshit?" Walter glared, dumbstruck. " That's not all, Walt, I have something else..." " ...What else do you got?" " 'Kay, the one survivor of that Norchester wipe, Alan Isley, you know him?" " 'Course I do, I'm the chief around here." " Well he said that there must've been an estimated ten wolves for every one man, and what is the estimated population of Medusa's military as of today?" " ...I think it's now, like, 200,000...why? " She'd been working to eliminate us, and every source has said that every country has been outnumbered by Medusa's forces about an estimated ten times over. She's been working up on these ranks, Walter, first it was 100,000 monsters for the 10,000 people in Westwind, then it was 50,000 monsters for 5,000 people in Norchester, and now 200,000! Now how many citizens live in Meric?" Walter pondered for a moment, his jaw dropped. " 20,000... that bitch! ''She's coming for Meric!" The three officers standing outside the room exchanged terrified glances, staring back at Chief Walter for a response. Walter stood up before ordering the trio standing guard at the doorway. " You two, go alert Arthur that we need immediate military assistance pronto!" " Sir, are you absolutely sure? This is Arthur we're talking ab-" " No time for talk like that, just go send the message!" " It'll take...mm, two days to reach Arthur by horseback- if you're lucky." " Well tell that rider to go mighty quick on that steed, then!" " And you, get the city under Code 9 lockdown, arm every home and get every police officer on the field immediately! GO!" Walter turned to glance at Corrin and Chuck, both watching the officers dart pass the entrance of his office. " Now how long do we have 'til she comes?" Chuck asked, curious. " If Westwind got invaded two days before Norchester, and the 'chester invasion was yesterday..." " No, no no ''no! We have to get more time, no way Arthur can get men over here by then!" Chuck replied, once again scared. Walter withdrew his dagger from his right pocket, swiftly revealing it from under his personal desk. " Meric has their own police, you know? Whether we a group of ten thousand or a group of ten, we're still armed to the teeth, and best part, we can proudly wear a gold badge that gives us a right to kick their ass." Corrin grinned. " Y' know, Walter, that's not very good language for a role model." " Good ain't the language for winners, Corrin, you know that well." Chuck got up from his seat, rubbing his forehead with his right palm. " Listen, fun talk is great and all, but what are we gonna do about her? We needa' defense by sundown tonight." Chuck requested, his patience stretched thin. Walter raised his head, still standing, to dismiss the pair. Corrin walked to the doorway, motioning for Chuck to follow. Peering behind the wooden doorframe, Chuck waited for Walter's final words of the day. " You two, stay together for t'day, shack up somewhere. Read the newspaper, arm yourself, get some sleep, do all that stuff for me. Our police department and enforcement units'll get readied for tommorow, so don't worry 'bout us. Oh, and remember..." Walter continued. Corrin's head popped into Walter's view, adding another head behind the doorframe. " ...If all goes to hell, just don't open your eyes, you might just turn to stone." Chapter 2 / "A Smith with a Blade of Steel" Category:Story Category:Order Category:Chaos